Excerpted from an editorial in the Orlando Sentinel.
Homeowners aren’t alone in this sluggish economy when it comes to finding themselves financially upside down.
Between 2005 and 2008, schools in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly known as Division I-A, increased spending on sports by an average of 38 percent, compared with a 20 percent jump in spending on academics. Schools opened their wallets for sports — spending an average of $84,000 per athlete. Yet, they managed a comparatively measly $13,000 on other students.
That imbalance is evidence of a broken system, one that a new report from the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics insists must be repaired with bold financial reforms to check escalating athletic spending.
The findings are new, but not unexpected. Last year, most of the 95 presidents surveyed at schools with big- time football programs declared the current revenue and spending model for athletic programs unsustainable.
That “destabilizing influence” is the crux of “Restoring the Balance: Dollars, Values, and the Future of College Sports.” The new report maps out a sensible blueprint that champions academics and better accountability for college athletics.
As the commission sees it, Division I schools should show the public the money — releasing more information about athletic revenues and expenses. That includes publishing reports that compare spending on academics and athletics. Greater fiscal transparency could spur reform by subjecting athletics to the same scrutiny other departments face.
Another proposal would create an academic litmus test for participating in championships. The commission suggests reserving that privilege for teams on track to graduate at least half its players.
That’s reasonable. Only teams meeting that modest benchmark should be rewarded with post-season play — and the accompanying revenue.
Lastly, the commission proposes shortening sports seasons and scheduling post-season games at times that don’t interfere with athletes’ academic obligations. And it proposes ending the practice of licensing players’ likenesses to promote commercial products, particularly since amateur collegians are barred from getting a cut of the profits.
These are necessary steps. Even among the 120 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the NCAA reports nearly 80 percent of the programs were bleeding an average of $9.9 million in red ink in the 2007-08 school year. Consider that in the context of today’s economy, where schools are reducing staff and programs and raising tuition and student fees — while pumping more dollars in sports.
